THE 5 REGIONS OF SIN
by Steve Pegram
Rom 6:12-14 says, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
Many people think of sin as only that thing that is committed by our physical actions, but there are in fact, 5 different regions of sin that we must guard against.
(1) MIND
Rom 8:6 "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
Thoughts - Ps 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Imaginations - 2 Cor 10:4-5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
(2) HEART
Jer 17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."
Intentions - Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Purposes - 2 Cor 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity"
Dan 1:8 "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."
(3) PHYSICAL BODY
2 Cor 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Actions/Deeds - Rom 8:13 "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."
(4) SPIRIT ("ruach" - invisible force)
1 Cor 2:10-11 "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."
Your Will - 1 Cor 2:12-14 "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
(5) SOUL ("psuche" - life)
Gen 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
Passions and Desires - Prov 21:10 "The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes."
Eccl 6:9 "Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit."
Appetites - Isa 29:8 "It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite"
In Romans 6:13, it says to "yield your members as 'instruments' of righteousness". The Greek word for instruments is "hoplon", which means "weapons". In other words, if you don't yield your mind, heart, body, spirit, and soul unto sin, they then each turn into weapons to be used against sin! Let us use these mighty weapons for what they were intended for - for God's kingdom and for standards of righteousness!!!